Carpenter Earns NCEA Arion Sellier Reining Rider Of The Month Accolades
2/4/2026 3:00:00 PM | Equestrian
WACO, Texas – It was announced this afternoon that the National Collegiate Equestrian Association spotlighted University of Tennessee at Martin junior Claire Carpenter as its Arion Sellier Rider of the Month in reining.
Carpenter joins South Carolina's Grace Rabb (fences), South Carolina's Sarah Rabb (flat) and SMU's Jayna Legace (horsemanship) as January 2026 NCEA Riders of the Month.
Carpenter becomes the first Skyhawk to be named a national Rider of the Month since her current teammate Elise Mason received that honor (also in reining) in October 2024. This also marks the second award for Carpenter in the last two days as she was also tabbed Eastern College Athletic Conference Reining Rider of the Week yesterday.
This recognition comes after a memorable weekend for Carpenter, who turned in a pair of standout efforts against No. 2 Georgia (Jan. 30) and No. 1 Auburn (Jan. 31). The Bowling Green, Ohio native produced a flawless 2-0 record against the stiffest of competition, starting with a MOP ride of 68.5 points for an 0.5-point victory aboard Duke against the defending national champion Bulldogs. The following day against the top-ranked Tigers, Carpenter secured 69.5 points on Amos to defeat her head-to-head competitor by 1.5 points.
Carpenter has made a start in all eight meets this season and boasts team-highs of five wins and two MOP's in reining. Her first MOP came via a career-best 72.5-point performance against South Dakota State on Oct. 31. She is currently in the midst of a three-meet winning streak and also tacked on another victory in the Oct. 4 season opener against Minnesota-Crookston.
UT Martin resumes its spring slate on Feb. 20-21 when it hosts ECAC foes Delaware State and Minnesota-Crookston as part of Senior Weekend at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex.
Carpenter joins South Carolina's Grace Rabb (fences), South Carolina's Sarah Rabb (flat) and SMU's Jayna Legace (horsemanship) as January 2026 NCEA Riders of the Month.
Carpenter becomes the first Skyhawk to be named a national Rider of the Month since her current teammate Elise Mason received that honor (also in reining) in October 2024. This also marks the second award for Carpenter in the last two days as she was also tabbed Eastern College Athletic Conference Reining Rider of the Week yesterday.
This recognition comes after a memorable weekend for Carpenter, who turned in a pair of standout efforts against No. 2 Georgia (Jan. 30) and No. 1 Auburn (Jan. 31). The Bowling Green, Ohio native produced a flawless 2-0 record against the stiffest of competition, starting with a MOP ride of 68.5 points for an 0.5-point victory aboard Duke against the defending national champion Bulldogs. The following day against the top-ranked Tigers, Carpenter secured 69.5 points on Amos to defeat her head-to-head competitor by 1.5 points.
Carpenter has made a start in all eight meets this season and boasts team-highs of five wins and two MOP's in reining. Her first MOP came via a career-best 72.5-point performance against South Dakota State on Oct. 31. She is currently in the midst of a three-meet winning streak and also tacked on another victory in the Oct. 4 season opener against Minnesota-Crookston.
UT Martin resumes its spring slate on Feb. 20-21 when it hosts ECAC foes Delaware State and Minnesota-Crookston as part of Senior Weekend at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex.
Players Mentioned
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